Now I Get It

I've been watching VH-1 since I got home from work. I watched profiles on the years 2003-2007, and now "The 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs" is on.


An abandoned pawn shop on the other side of our alley burned to the ground yesterday. My neighborhood smelled like a campfire when I got home from work last night.

I saw this recipe online tonight and can't wait to try it....

Stupid Drivers!

Someone sideswiped M's car sometime between 5:30pm last night and noon today. They broke his driver-side taillight and his side mirror. Of course they didn't leave insurance info. If you hear anyone talking about doing this, please let us know. I hope it was some drunk fuck who sustained some damage to their car and wonders what happened last night. Whoever did it definitely has some gold paint transfer on their car.

This could have been so much worse. Luckily, M is friends with a Honda mechanic who probably has all the spare parts needed. It makes me mad, is all.

My days off this week were split because of xmas. I don't feel like I've gotten time off because we had to do "family get-together" on xmas, and tonight we have to go to a friend's house for a birthday party. I don't have to go, but I'm obligated. I wish I had internet on my phone so I could watch the Blazers game while I'm there. I don't like being hugged by hippies that I don't know, and that's gonna be happening.

A Long Friday

It snowed again last night, and the silence outside woke M and I up early. Really early--out of bed before 5am. We made boozy coffee, steak and sweet potato hashbrowns for breakfast. Yum.

My plan for today had been to go to the Social Security office today and apply for a replacement card. I lost my secondary wallet last week and have been dealing with that ever since. I swear I won't ever carry my Social Security card or account numbers with me ever again, I promise. My lunch hours and time after work have been filled with phone calls to credit agencies (and getting yelled at by the Experian agent for paying for my bank's monthly fraud service instead of theirs), closing and re-opening checking and savings accounts. I gave my car insurance my new checking account number, only to find out that my payment had been posted to the old account the same day I closed it. So back to the bank for a letter to prove I'd closed my account due to fraud.

Anyway, I still need to get a new Social Security card. It had snowed overnight, the weathermen were saying how slippery the roads were, and M saw a minivan do a 360 in front of our house. It's probably gonna be a couple of weeks before I can get to the Social Security office. They don't do anything about your number unless actual fraud is committed, so I might as well not not deal with the bad weather.

So, I lost my wallet because I wasn't paying attention. Hopefully whoever found it looked for cash, threw the rest away, and it's buried in a landfill. Hopefully none of the homeless who hang out in my work's parking lot know how to commit identity theft. I console myself that my social security number can be accessed any number of ways besides by my own stupidity. I wonder which illegal alien is gonna have my name. The odds of someone using my spare keys are slim. I'm gonna be reading my monthly credit reports like a hawk.

The weather's been really shitty all week. Oregon is unable to handle ice, and I'm tired of white-knuckling the drive to work. I'm tired of my car doors icing shut every single time, and having to spend a half hour to get the car's windows scraped and defrosted.

This is the worst possible time to have bad weather, workwise. The recession has been really hitting us, and the ice & snow is making it so much worse. I've never seen it like this.

Peggy also died a few years ago during Christmastime, during shitty weather. I couldn't fly home because the weather in Colorado was so bad, and it was Christmas retail.

This week has been a real grind. It's been nice staying inside and not having to deal with it. This week really wore me down. So fuck it, why bother getting my social security card right away if I don't need it?

I made spaghetti carbonara (mmm, bacon) for dinner, then we watched the Heat beat the Lakers. We flipped off Kobe after his final shot didn't go in. Fuck Kobe. Brandon Roy got 52 points against Phoenix tonight. Close game all night. Right now, Denver is getting their asses handed to them by Cleveland. Cleveland's uniforms tonight are ugly. They remind me of McDonalds.

Christmas on Mars

We're watching the Flaming Lips' "Christmas on Mars", and I think it's gonna be 86 minutes of my life that I can't get back. Sorry, Chad. But I did recognize Fred Armisen right off. I think I'll go take a nap now.

Picadilly!

We scored some vinyl finds at the Picadilly Flea Market. Actually, M found a bunch of stuff:

ZZ Top--Tres Hombres
a couple Joe Walsh albums (I'm too lazy to get up from the couch and see)
Joan Jett--Bad Reputation
a Johnnny Cash

I got: B-52s--Whammy and Billy Squier--Don't Say No. I love that Billy Squier album. When I still had Christine the Datsun, Eric and I would rock out to a badly warped cassette of it.

We're listening to the ZZ Top right now, and it's not half bad. They had some good stuff before they became an MTV era novelty act.

P.S. Karma's a bitch, isn't it, OJ?

Christmas Presents

I need to wrap the fam's presents and get them all boxed up to take to Hiron's tomorrow to ship. However, all I feel like doing is watching basketball and sitting on the couch.

I wish I had something good for dessert. I'm already in my pajamas and not going anywhere. At times like these, I think about getting DoCo, but all I want is cookies. I brought home French dips and chips, but neglected getting dessert.

This weekend I have some new music to check out. I bought a couple cds on the Fat Possum label, circa 1997. I've never heard of either artist, but the potential for greatness is high. And I picked up the Electric Apricot--Quest for Festeroo DVD. I knew if I waited long enough, the list price would go down--by twelve bucks!

Grr Cable TV!

Our digital cable is working again, and it turns out that we probably jostled one of the cables a bit loose when we were trying to make the VCR work Sunday night in order to tape the Britney Spears MTV documentary. Damn you Britney!

The only channel we'd been able to get was Comcast SportsNet, which luckily televises Blazer games. We probably would've called tech support sooner if our only channel had been HSN or something equally crappy.

Anyway, all is fixed. Right now I'm watching the Blazers/Knicks game. When they cut to commercial, they showed Jay-Z and Beyonce in the stands. That's so cool!

Two Additions to Best of 2008 List

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Dig Lazarus Dig

Raphael Saadiq: The Way I See It

Getting XMas Done Before Thanksgiving

I hate dealing with shopping during the xmas season. The combo of working retail and shitty weather make me want to be done with it as soon as possible. I probably got 80% of it done today. I got both of M's big presents today while he was at work.

Target first thing in the morning before it got busy. I love how Target has all those packaged "gadgety" gifts at xmas. I found a new manicure kit (since M picked up my cuticle scissors last week and the handle broke in two). I also bought the remote control holder I eyeballed last year and didn't get. Why can't Target have all those cool gifts year-round? I also got all my gifts for my Secret Santa, and I'm pretty happy with my choices. Last year Target had a crockpot with three different sized inserts, but I can't find one anywhere, and now we want one, of course.

Then off to Value Village. I found a couple of shirts, but no pants. I want a pair of dark brown pants, and I am always on the lookout for jeans that fit. No crockpots, and no cast iron skillets either.

I picked up the last of the groceries we need for tomorrow. We're having:
fresh angel hair pasta w/ pesto cream sauce, baked baby carrots, mashed sweet potatoes, salad, and pecan pie. We've got appetizers from Trader Joes to snack on all morning.

Now I'm watching Food Network and coming up with cooking ideas for the weekend. We're trying to cook a lot more instead of eating out. Our food tastes are kinda gourmet and we buy as much organic as possible, so we're not really saving any money by eating at home. Mostly, we're tired of our usual restaurants, it's cold outside, and it's basketball season.

I happened upon what I think is going to be my new favorite Food Network show, Quick Meals With Robin Miller . Everything she made today was super-easy and looked so good!

My friend Gabe is home for Thanksgiving, and we're gonna hang out later. I'm gonna make baked Garlic Mac & Cheese for dinner, and we'll watch the Blazers play the Heat. However, now it's nap time.

Not Much

It's halftime during the Blazers/Kings game. The Blazers are ahead by 4, but I'm not particularly interested since I could give a shit about Sacramento.

Threadless emailed me about their $5 holiday sale. The t-shirt I've been eyeballing was on sale, and now it's mine. Thank you, Gabe and Cory, for telling me about Threadless.

M is at the Immortal Technique show in Portland. I'm not sad that I'm missing it. I need a break from Portland. I prefer to kick it in my pajamas when it's cold outside.

Not Much Going On In My Neck of the Woods

Most of my free time has been taken up with basketball. ESPN has two NBA games on Wednesday and Friday. Comcast Sportsnet has most of the Blazers games. TBS has games off & on, too. And now, NCAA basketball has started! Oregon is playing my alma mater, University of Northern Colorado, right now on CSN. UNC must have moved up to Division I play since I went there. Luckily, the Blazers don't have another game until Wednesday; maybe I'll be able to get up off the couch and do something.

I just bought the new Black Keys DVD: Live at the Crystal Ballroom. It's the show I went to in April. Now I'll be able to see the show--I spent most of the time on my tippy-toes with the stage lights flashing in my eyes when I went. As soon as M gets home, we can watch it. Whenever that's going to be.......

The Onion Had Bush's Number Back in 2001

From www.cnn.com: "Days before the January 2001 inauguration of President Bush, the Onion ran this story."


Sorry, I'm a little late on post-election commentary. I was "cautiously optimistic" during Election Day. I never expected Bush to win a second term, and I didn't want to be let down again if Obama didn't win. I am definitely happy and relieved. I know that things won't instantly get better once he assumes office, but I now can look forward to the future.

Lazy-Ass Friday

Digital Cable is pretty awesome. Last night I watched two NBA games, Celebrity Rehab, and Food Network until 3am. Needless to say, I don't feel like doing much today.

Grrr! UPS was supposed to deliver my Threadless t-shirt today. As of 6:15am it was "out for delivery." I tracked it at 4pm, and UPS says, "A CORRECT STREET NUMBER IS NEEDED FOR DELIVERY. UPS IS ATTEMPTING TO OBTAIN THIS INFORMATION." AKA: the driver was too lazy to get out of his truck to look for my house, which is directly behind the apartment building in front of it. I've received UPS packages before, so I'm guessing that the usual driver has the day off. I called UPS to tell them my address is correct and behind another building, so now it's supposed to be delivered on Monday. Here's the new tracking message: "A DELIVERY CHANGE REQUEST FOR THIS PACKAGE WILL BE PROCESSED / THE PACKAGE IS BEING HELD FOR FUTURE DELIVERY. UPS WILL ATTEMPT DELIVERY ON THE DATE REQUESTED." And this is why I usually have stuff shipped to work. When M has stuff shipped UPS to our house, he doesn't have problems. And my shirt would've been perfect for Halloween, too.

Tonight I'm going to watch the Blazers game and whatever awesomeness digital cable has to offer. M has a gig tonight with that band, but I'm not going. Tomorrow is the Picadilly Flea Market. The last one (my first) was pretty cool. I plan on going whenever they have one on a Saturday.

Upgrade

M and I finally made the upgrade to Digital Cable yesterday. The combo of Blazers games, Battlestar Galactica (in January), and Comedy Central made it too difficult to resist. The upgrade is supposed to kick in in 24 hours. We've been checking every few hours, and hopefully it'll extend to the tv in the bedroom. It's more money ($30 each) than we were paying before, but the weather is gonna start getting worse soon, making us more likely to stay home.

A Fun Thursday Night Was Had

I met up with Katie and Dusty at Davis' for a friend's birthday dinner. The poor service and the fact that I never got my change back on my beer reinforced my dislike for the place. Granted, it was $1.50 change on a five, but maybe if I wasn't a member of the working poor, the principle of it wouldn't bother me. Especially when I asked for my change, and she said she'd bring it.

Davis' sure is pretty looking. I like the color scheme. However, the menu is too chi-chi and spendy for my low-wage job taste. I'm not a yuppie or yuppie-in-training, or aspiring to be one, and that is the crowd that it desires & draws. I am normal folk who like kicking it with normal folk. The positive I can give Davis' is that you can dress casually and still fit in. And that their burger is the shit--get it with blue cheese and bacon.

Next we got dinner (mmm chicken strips!) and drinks at Horsehead. I like Horsehead because all kinds of people go there. You've got your resident alcoholics, business people getting a drink after work, aging hipsters, troubled hipsters. It has more of a feel of a neighborhood bar with awesome food than its uptight prissy cousin across the street.

M was supposed to meet up with us when his band practice ended, but of course, some stupid bullshit happened like it always does. Katie and Dusty walked me home because M's band practice didn't get started until late, and we were ready to leave by then. Anyone got a band my BF can jam with?

Anyway, the three of us hung out at my house for awhile. They got to check out the Memory Foam mattress pad, and we talked about all kinds of pop culture. I wish I got to hang out with Katie and Dusty more often because I like them so much. They are super-cool and we think alike on a lot of the same things. I'm glad they're my friends.

Chelsea Handler PSA

Ants and Neti Pots

I noticed in the bathroom this morning that our yearly infestation of tiny black ants has begun, possibly because of the change in the weather. Our landlord is good about contacting the exterminator, but I still get overwhelmingly grossed out at watching them cross the bathroom floor and go walking on the hallway carpet. I put some Tarro out, which they are enjoying. We have also been vacuuming them when they're on the carpet. At least they're not in the kitchen. Yet.

I finally started using the Neti Pot that I bought last summer at the end of allergy season. It's pretty cool once you get over the sensation of drowning. I can't wait to use it when I get really stuffed up.

I Don't Feel So Good

Yuck, I'm getting the same cold that M has. I have the sore throat, I want to jab a pipe cleaner inside my ears they itch so much, and now I have to blow my nose a lot. M has band practice tonight, so I picked up the House Curry from Sweet Basil. The new issue of Blender arrived today, and I've already perused it front to back.

I do enjoy M having band practice because it gives me back some "me time." Unfortunately, I feel crummy--not that what I'm doing tonight would be much different if I felt better. I lived by myself for six years before we started dating, and I did enjoy having my space. M used to work weekends, which gave us Friday together and Saturday by myself. Now we have the same days off, and I could have time to myself if I wanted, but I want to hang out with my BF when we get the time.

I think it's time for my evening nap. Should I sleep on the living room couch or the uber-comfy bed?

Memory Foam Rocks

Friday we bought a memory foam mattress pad for the bed. M and I are orthopedicly challenged--he has a bad shoulder and back, I have lower back, sciatica, wrist and shoulder issues. Our chiropractor recommended the mattress pad. M has a memory foam pillow that he loves, so we figured we'd give it a try. Shop-Ko had them for 60% off.

It wasn't cheap, let me tell you. But it's up there with the best things ever. You truly melt into the bed like quicksand.

Today we went to the Picadilly Flea Market for the first time. I found AC/DC: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap and the Watts/Stax soundrack on vinyl. Then I cleaned the house while M made chili.

Favorite CDs of 2008

So far and in no particular order:

Lil Wayne: Tha Carter III
TV on the Radio: Dear Science
The Verve: Forth
Jenny Lewis: Acid Tongue
Foals: Antidotes
Immortal Technique: 3rd World
Death Cab For Cutie: Narrow Stairs
Raconteurs: Consolers of the Lonely

Biggest Disappointment: Kings of Leon: Only by the Night.

I tried, Katie, and it didn't work, and I'm too hungry to figure it out.

New TV On The Radio is a good thing

When you hear it, you know it's TVOTR, but they sound different. Not different bad or different good, but different. All the harmonizing is still there, but it has more danceable-ness. I dunno, check it out. I'm sure it will be on my Top 10.

As for the new Kings of Leon, not so much. I like track 10--it sounds like an outtake from "Because of the Times," but the rest of it sounds like they're not even trying. The second listen wasn't as disappointing as the first, but it was still mediocre. Mediocre is worse than sucking.